School. There’s so much importance that is stressed on getting an education, and going to school. It’s something that seems to be on every young-adult’s mind, because getting a degree is the next step after high school. It’s what everyone is doing, right? Well, not everyone.

It can be harder to accomplish this personal goal when married. The typical cycle around here, is that some couples find it best to have one spouse put school on hold to help support the other spouse’s education, with the hope that when they finish, the other spouse can go back and finish. It makes sense, because we all know how tight money can be as student newlyweds!

Over the past few months, we have been considering the option of me going back to school, and I’m very happy to say that I will be able to do that this summer! It was a very interesting decision on my mind because I wasn’t sure how things would work out. I mean, I knew what career I had been wanting all this time - to be a counselor working with families. However, I started realizing the reality of the hard work it would take to get to that point. I mean, I don’t even have an Associate’s degree finished, and I’m thinking about getting a Master’s? Junie B. Jones, that is a lot of schooling left! I have been thinking, “Can I really get there?” “Will it be worth it, even if I don’t end up having to work in the future?”

The motivation

Doubts have settled in, because I’m not sure what our future brings. What has given me encouragement has actually been the amazing moms I have seen around me, recently. I see young moms around me working hard at home to finish their degrees, while juggling motherhood and marriage, and whatever else life wants to add on top of that. I hear about moms who already have a skill or degree under the belt, and they still work towards getting even more education than the degrees they currently have. To you wives and mothers, you are amazing. Because I look at myself -  a young wife with no kids, and soon no full-time job to worry about - and I wonder what’s stopping me from doing the same thing.

In this time of figuring out what we should do, I have decided that it’s best to just take it one step at a time. I have the desire and interest to finish what I have spent years working towards, and I feel good about that. And I have such great support and encouragement from Trevor, and our family and friends to pursue this goal. So for now, I am going to finish my Associate’s degree. After that, we can decide what the next move should be. We don’t know what opportunities might come our way in the future, we don’t know when kids will come into our lives, and sometimes we just don’t know what we need to do until we’ve made a move in one direction. So that’s what we are doing, and we are looking forward to it!

“Education is yours to obtain… No one else can gain it for you… Wherever you are, develop a deep desire to learn."

- Elder Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints

Again, I’m thankful for the motivation I have received from watching those around me pursue an education, whatever their circumstances may be. Learning is such a powerful thing and I firmly believe we should be learning something new every day, whether it is learned in a classroom, in our jobs, or in real life situations.

P.S. Trevor, does this mean I get to go back to school shopping? :) hahaha

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